Heart of Darkness // Waiting for the Barbarians

There are the numerous, concrete parallelisms between the Magistrate and Mr. Kurtz in their two respective novels. In the era of British imperialism, Britain can be seen as the “Empire” presented in Waiting for the Barbarians, and the Africans are the “barbarians.” Both these characters can be labeled as explorers and collectors. Both embody figures of authority who stray from the accepted social mores of their cultures and eventually become similar to the respective barbarians in the eyes of their peers. The two stories can be seen as a reflection of one another. In Heart of Darkness, Marlowe is from the mainland of the British Empire, observing Kurtz after years of being immersed in the foreign country. In Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate is the one who has been “sunk, after years in this backwater, in slothful native ways,” (50) and the emissary from the capital is presented in Colonel Joll.

Similar to how Kurtz is shunned by his people because of his preference to live among the Africans, the Magistrate is imprisoned and tortured by the Empire because of his interest in the barbarian culture. In Waiting for the Barbarians, the citizens of the town soon fall to the tasking life under martial law. As the soldiers all abandon the town, the Magistrate essentially comes back into his position of authority and I like to think that the people of the town realize that he has been right all along. Similarly, Kurtz’s view of integrating with the Africans is directed in the right path, although the end result of his actions- becoming a worshipped god to the tribal people- is not what one should strive for.

But the parallel actions of these two characters from the two novels are not what is so profoundly unique. The distinctiveness lies in the motives that drive the actions of the Magistrate and Kurtz. As Douglas Kerr says in his article, “Kurtz too has acquired a lover…the wilderness itself.” (22) Upon reflection, I find that the same could be said of the Magistrate. He is confused by his feelings for the barbarian girl because he doesn’t understand that his intentions aren’t comparable to those involved in a sexual relationship but instead it is a relationship of cultural curiosity. The Magistrate and Mr. Kurtz represent two separate instances of individuality and the courage to venture out of bounds and into the “wrong.” (399)